Train-pipe coupling.



J B. MARBLE. TRAIN PIPE GOUPLING.

APPLIOA'IIOIV TILBD JAI. 13, `1901i. Y

Patented ocu 25, 1910;

4 sums-'suur 1.

' J. B. MARBLE.'

Patented ocu 25,1910. l

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

TRAIN HPB GOUPLING. A'PPLIouIoI FILED nl la. 190B.

INVENTOH ATTORNEYS,

' J. E. MARBLE. TRAIN PIPE GOUPLING. ArrLloATIon FILED 1,111.13, 190g.974,088, d Patented 0011.25, 1910.

`4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

wllTquEssEs: INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

//// IMI //ZIlli9|IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIIIIIII having a steamconduit adapt the usual heating coils of the train and JAMES E. MARBLE,0F ALBANY, NEWCYORK, 'ASSIGNR '0F ONE-TH l LAYDEN,.OF ALBANY, NEW YORK;

TRAIN-PIPE COUPLING.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented oec. l25, 1910.

Application inea January 1a, 190e. serial No. 410,637.

To all whom 'it may `concem.'-

Be it known that l, JAMES E Munir: a. citizen of the United Sta-tes,residing 1n 1- bany, county ot' Albany, and State of New.

York, have invented certain new and use-- ful Improvements in Train-PipeCouplers; and l do hereby declare the followin to bea full, clear, andexact description o the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and usc the same. p

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements intheconstruction and suspension of automaticcouplers for connecting the iuidconducting ipes of railway trains, as, for instance, t e pipes employedfor conducting steam and compressed air to the several cars.

The construction herein illustrated is par-4 ticularly applicable to atrain epipe system to suplply ing separate air conduits for the brakesand signals respectively; but it will be understood that the features ofnovelty 'claimed are not restricted to any articular train pipe system,but are inten ed forem loyment wherever they may be separate y orcollectively used to advantage.

In the accom anfing drawings, Figure 1 represents in si e e ovation theend parts of a passenger c ar with one of my improved couplers mountedin ap ropriate position; Fig. 1 is a view, on a rger scale, of the otherside of the coupler head; Fig. 2 represents a central longitudinalsection of one of my improved couplers and the end portion of anabutting coupler; Fig. 3 is a, plan view partly in section of the partsshown in Fi f. 2; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the front en of a coupler,and portions of its supporting parts; und .Fi-g. 5 is an elevation ofthe'rear end of the same; Fi 6 is a detail showing the forward end o thecoupling means or the steam pipe; Fig. -7 is a sectional view of thesame parts showing the parts in the retracted positionwhich they.

assume when the cars are coupled; Fig. 8 is a similar view showin theparts in their advanced position whici they assume when the cars areu'ncou led.

Similar letters o reference indicate simie coupler described herein isof the 'larrplarts throughout the several views.

steam pipe j likewise exten same general nature as the couplersdisclosed 1n my prior patents Numbers 491,291; 592,521; 592,522;l592,523 and 847,288.-

The coupling members on adjacent cars are designed to be homologouscounterparts of each other and are 'suspended inA like manner.. Thecouplers comprise a collapsible supporting frame'made up of a.movable'conpler head A and a fixed part which is suspended in a bracketC hung from the under portion of the car-body by the hang-v ers I) andthe braces D. The forward portion of the coupler issuspended by thespringsva which are attached to chains b runnin over the sheaves changing from the un er portion of the car body. The chains bareconnected-to their other ends through' the' rods d to the' forward endpieces of the truck frame. The manner of supporting the fixed part ofthe cou lei` in the brackets C will be understo from Figs. 1 and 5, fromwhich it will be observed that the frame e is supported by trunuions ewhich rest in elon ated inclined bearin s in the bracket C. he plate fis supporte in this frame e by trunnions f arranged in a vertical plane.It will be observed that this manner of sup orting the coupler affords asupport inclu ing a. universal joint, and that by the connection fromthe forward end of the coupler to the truck frame the coupler headfollows the direction of the truck rather than the direction of the carbody. This manner of su. port is substantially identical with that discosed in 'my earlier patents.

Extending from the coupler head A. is a central tube g', which extendsthrough and slides within a central opening in the plate f and is'limited in its forward movement by a cap g. The spring h surrounds thistube g and normally forces the tube to its extreme forward position andat the same time forces the trunnions on the frame e to the bottom oftheir inclined bearings in the brackets C. The upper air ipe i and thed) through and slide withinappropriate openings in the plate f. Thesecond air pipe z" lis within the tube g and extends throu h and slideswit-hin an opening in the ca g The ilexible connector pipes i, i an yare attached to the ends of the pipes z', i and j and connect them tothe train pipes in the manner 'vidpa u which will be readily understood.The for'- ward ends of these several pipes i, i and j ass throu h therear face of the 'coupler ead in sli ingengagement with appro riate onings t erein and screw into cy indric heads k which fit closely-withinthree chambers i e coupler head arranged one above the other. Theseheads are cup ed at their rear end and between the hea s'and the innerAface of the vcoupler head are arranged spiral springs k surrounding thepipes but separated therefrom by ring flangesas shown in Fig. 2. Thehead on each pipe is provided with a beveled seat for a gasket l held inplace by the locking ring m screwed into the face of the head. I-Vhenthe cars are uncoupled the spring h advances the pi g until the cap gengages the plate f. an the s rings k further advance their individuaipes until the collars at the rear ends o? the--pipes i and 7' engagethe plate f and the collar at the rear end of the pipe 'i' engages thecap g. In this osition the headson the ends ofthe pipe ave their facessubstantially flush with 'the face of the coupler head as' shown in Fig.8. ,When the cars are coupled the pipes are forced back `into theposition shown in Figs. 2 and 7 until the faces of the two coupler headsabut, whereupon the spring h is eompressedand the pipes 'i and j and thetube g slide through the openings in the platej into the osition shownin Fi ...2. I`his uts the main spring h and the indii)springs k undercompression and securely presses the coupler heads and the ends of thetrain pipes together.

It will be observed that theA coupler head has an opening' between thesteam pipe and the adjacent air ipe toaiord heat insulations asdescribed) in my earlier patents, but

in the present'instance, owing to the skeleton structure of the couplerbody, there is a free assage of air through the head, the opening 4 ingopen-atits front and back to the atmosphere.

For the purpose of more accurately directing the interlocking members oftwo abutting coupler heads into locking ppsition and f projecsecuringthemtherein I have improved the construction pf the couplerheads in the following manner: Each coupler head is provided on one sidewith a pocket, having a {iaring outh, for receiving a uide tongue fromthe correspon ing side of the abutting head as shown in Fig. 3. The

'casting forming the head has projecting beyond its face on one side theflaring li s o and o which together form the mout of the pocket, whichmouth is contracted at the base of the lips to substantially the widthof projecting from the abutting this mouth the pocketis enlarged by 'thecored out portion oz of thel casting, and, at the extreme rear of thecastcOnnecting ipes extendin ing, is again contracted to form an o'p'enpassage through the rear wall; The tongue 7?.

has a substantially uniform thickness and tapers from its base to astrai ht-ed ed extreme end portion having a vele point. This tongue isguided b the lips o and o through the contracte mouth into the pocketuntil finally the extreme end portion f p' passes into the open passagethrough the rear wall, in which position the tonguef'p fits snuglywithin the mouth and the 'ex'- treme en portion within the open' passae. The result of enlarging thel pocket at oz is that as the two headscome together the tongue p will not bind in the pocket until its extremeend has passed ito the -open passage through the rear wall of the head,whereupon the coupling action iscompleted.

As shown in Figs. 3- and 4 the body of the casting is cored out betweenthe tongue p and the portion which contains the heads of the train pi esthereby ai'or-din a socket for the lip o and reducing the weight of thecoupler. For the purpose of further reducing the weight the lips o ando' and-the tongue p instead of being cast solid are cast withstrengthening ribs and intermediate depressions as shown.

Vlat I clainli is u 1. n a coup er or train pi es, a co a siblesupporting -frame extending longitildinally of the car b ody andcomprisin a fixed part hunggfrom the vehicle, a. mva le art having anextension` guided by the ed part, and a spring interposed between saidarts to advance t e movable part; 'a plurality of ri ld connecting pi esforthe train pipes sli ing in and guide by the fixed and movable partsof the frame, andan individual ring for advancin each connecti'n pipeinterposed between t e movable part o and such pipe substantiallyl asthe "iframe described' '1 f 11 2. n a coup eror train-pipes, aco apsiblesupporting frame comprising a ixed partA hung from the vehicle on auniversal joint, a coupler-head havin an extension sliding in a guide inthe fixe part, a fsprin' interposed between the head and the fix art toadvance the head, and rigid connectin`g2pipes extending from the headthiou h gui es in the xe i guielg extension; substantially as' del scri3. In a coupler for train-pipes, a. collapsible supporting framecomprising a. fixed art hung from the vehicle on a umvergal Joint, acoupler head having anextensin sliding in a guide in the fixed'part, anda s ring interposed between thehead andthe xed part to advance the head,and 'rigid throuv h gui es in the fix part, said pipes sliding in the-head and being Y an in 'vidual spring for a vanclng each part andoutside of t e;

from the-head vided with tension -slding in a frame l'comprising a fixepip interposed betiveen the head andV an abutment on such pipe;substantially as der scribed. j j y 4.` In a coupler for train ipes, asupporting dJ part hung'rom the vehicle on a-universal jomt a chamberedcoupler-head having a' central tubular exguide in the stationarypart,and a compression-sprin surrounding said extension and interposel'between the j fixed part and the head; rigid connectin pipes forthetrain-pipes supported in sai frame, ahead on each connecting pipeslidling :frame comprising a fix z', i and' j supported in the frame, acuppe ing Within the a propriate chamber in the coupler-head, an a4spring interposed between the head on each pipe and the rear wall of itschamber for advancing the individual pipes with resfpect to Ithecoupler-- escribed'.

5. In. a coupler for trainpi es,` a supportpart f hung from the frame ona universal joint, a chambered coupler-head A having a central tubularextension g sliding in a guide in the fixed part f, and a compressionspringhsurroundingthe extension g and interposed between the fixed'prtand the head; connecting pipes head; substantially as d. head. k having'a gasket l on each pipel 's iding within an appropriate chamber: in thecoupler-head A, and a spring la between the cupped head on each 'pipeand the rea-r wall of its chamber for advancing theindividual pipes withrespect to the coupler-head; substantially as described.

6. A coupler head having a central por-v tioncontaining fluid passages,a projectingl tongue 011 one side separated from the central portion byanintervening recess, and flaring lips on the other side forming aguiding mouth for the tongue .of the abutting coupler, the head beingcored out inside ot' said :mouth to' form an enlarged pocket, and havinga contracted passage through its rear wall to form a closely fittingsocket tor the extreme end of the tongue of' the abutting coupler,substantially as described.

7. A coupler head having acent'ral portion containing fluid passages, aprojecting tongue p tapering from its base to a straight-- f edgedextreme end portion p haring a beieled po1nt,(said tongue belng locatedat one side of the central portion and separated therefrom by anintervening recess, and ilaring lips O and 0 on the other side of therentral portion forming a guiding month for the tongue of the abuttingcoupler, the head being cored out inside of said month to {o1-m anenlarged pocket, andhaving a rontraeted passage through its rear Wall,the month and passage formlngfa closely fitting sockel for the tongue ofthe abutting coupler, snbstantially as described.

In testimony whereo-f' aiiixiny signature, l

in presence of-two witnesses.

JAMES i-{ARBLE l Witnesses :v

JOHN C. PEN-Nin, WILLIAM H. DAVIS.

